Nicole Brice
Oct 31, 2024
Goodbye Academy is a collective of brilliant musicians dedicated to the true artistry of making great music.
As a teenager from 1994 to 2000, I know a lot about music from that period. Music back then had a certain artistry to it. It was inspiring instead of being spiteful. It was playful yet powerful, but all in all, it had heart. An emerging Louisiana talent named Goodbye Academy is bridging the gap between current music and the favorites of the past with their conceptual and innovative tracks that take risks regarding different sounds and textures.
How would I describe Goodbye Academy’s sound? It’s a unique blend of pop-grunge with a hint of punk, yet in the grand scheme of things, they are truly alternative. Their sound would have resonated well in the early to mid-90s, and with the younger generations embracing the 90s culture, they are set to leave a lasting impression on the music scene.
Goodbye Academy, a Baton Rouge-based group, is a collective of brilliant musicians dedicated to the true artistry of making great music. Their technical proficiency is evident in every note, and their music is a testament to their passion and dedication. With well-thought-out song titles that showcase their personality, reminiscent of the comedic antics of They Might Be Giants, Goodbye Academy is ready to make a significant impact on the music industry.
Originating in the Hammond, LA area, but now claiming Baton Rouge as their home base, Goodbye Academy is comprised of Kris Ballard (guitar/vocals), Jake Shaver (bass/vocals), and Chase Chabaud (drums/vocals). The vocal styling reminds me of Jeremy Palaszewski from No Motiv meets Mark Lanegan from Screaming Trees.
Having recently released their self-titled debut album, Goodbye Academy has crafted an album with no filler tracks and nothing but killer. Each song is more unique than the last. The album opens with a well-known phrase from a famous British comedy troupe that I adore: “And now for something completely different.” Note: When I sat down to interview the guys, this was one of my first questions, and then we went around the table quoting the favorite famous British comedy troupe in our best British accents.
There are heavy basslines throughout, too, and I’m a sucker for a heavy bassline. Jake is the classic tale of the need for a bass player turning into a guitar player taking up bass, but he’s pretty good at it and carves out a prominent and dominant sound in Goodbye Academy’s music. I love it when a bass player stands out, too, like Craig Setari from Sick of it All. I always know a song by Sick of It All when it first begins because of Craig’s bass playing. I have a feeling that as Jake refines his bass skills, he, too, will be one of those exceptional bass players who will stand out amongst the rest.
Jake and Kris met while attending college at Southeastern Louisiana University in 2017 and have been inseparable ever since. You could say it was a meeting with destiny, in a sense. Chase is a humble and talented percussionist who combines rhythm into the packaged Goodbye Academy sound. With clever marketing and original graphics drawn by Kris Ballard, Jake developed the band’s brand identity through a unified, visually stunning website with a cohesive theme of nostalgia. Read on below.
MaM: Tell us a little about how you came together. A little band origin, if you will.
Kris: Well, Jake and I met in 2017 at Southeastern’s Welcome Week / Orientation, and we became best friends instantly. We were hanging out and living in an apartment for a bit. It was horrible.
Jake: It was like a 1-bedroom apartment with four people living there.
Kris: Yeah, but like 20 people were there every day.
(laughter)
Kris: God forbid that only four people are in the apartment.
(laughter)
Kris: I played guitar and dabbled in stuff, but we didn’t really do anything musically for a while. We were messing around with making a song called, ‘Two Worlds’, back then, and after a couple years of knowing each other, I ended up writing ‘Drywall’ after going through a pretty bad breakup in my room at like 3 o’clock in the morning, with a headset microphone. I put this headset microphone up to the guitar and was playing it.
MaM: Hey, whatever you have to do, right?
(laughter)
Kris: The first version was so bad, and I put it on YouTube. We then started talking about it, so I did a second version, and it was at that point we decided we should actually make music and be a band. Originally, we were going to be an acoustic duo called Up N' Atoms, and we were playing together, for how long?
Jake: Two years
Kris: We made a couple of EPs, and Jake ended up meeting Chase at his work. He was like, ‘I met this guy at work, and he’s a drummer. We should go play with him.’ I was so nervous, too, when I went to Chase’s house that I didn’t talk for over two hours.
(laughter)
MaM: That’s a great introduction. I want to play music with you, but I’m not going to talk to you.
(laughter)
Kris: I was terrified. There were microphones in the room, and every time I would talk, my voice would reverberate.
(laughter)
MaM: So, you guys share vocal duties. Generally, when it comes to singing the song, how do you decide that?
Kris: It’s generally who writes it.
MaM: What is more important, in your opinion, lyrics or sound?
Kris: We might all have a different opinion on this.
Jake: When listening to music, I tend to listen compositionally forward more than lyrically, but when I write, it’s lyrically forward with the composition on the back end.
Kris: We’ll often write lyrics before he gets any instrumentation done.
Chase: I’m the biggest metal head, so for me, I find the screams are an instrument of sorts, and they’re very valuable to the music. In execution, though, it all must sound right, so I would have to say the sound of the song matters more than the lyrics.
Kris: When I write music, all the songs I wrote lyrics for have meaning. They have to mean something personally to me. Obviously, if I don’t like the way something sounds, I just drop the song, in general. I hyper-analyze and dissect all the lyrics first, though.
MaM: I do that with every song. I get it. How would you describe the Goodbye Academy sound for someone who has never heard your music?
Chase: This is actually a great segway into that. I’ve gotten a comparison to a genre I was unfamiliar with, called Midwest emo, and Rian stamped us as the genesis of a new genre called Southeast emo.
MaM: But I don’t think ya’ll are emo.
Chase: Midwest emo carries a similar style, and there are some bands like Hot Mulligan and Mom Jeans that carry the Midwest emo moniker, but it’s funny that we have been dubbed that. I don’t know if I would necessarily embrace the emo narrative either, but I think we carry more pop-punk and grunge elements, but I don’t want to limit what we do either. There is more to explore.
MaM: That’s what I love about your band, though, because you don’t sound like any other band around here. That’s also what I love about Jean Claude Seagal, too. Their sound is refreshing, and that gives you an advantage. Keep the formula.
Chase: I see similarities between how we approach music and Weezer.
MaM: Love Weezer! That’s a good comparison. See, I would say They Might Be Giants. Have you heard of them?
Goodbye Academy: Yes!
Chase: They famously wrote the theme song to The Daily Show. I also think we have a lot of influence from Blink 182 with the way I play drums. There is also contrast in our vocalists because of the two different styles they bring.
Jake: Someone recently actually described us as sounding like Hüsker Dü.
MaM: That’s an excellent comparison! What do you guys listen to daily?
Jake: I grew up on classic rock. Aerosmith, Led Zeppelin, AC/DC, Pink Floyd, etc. I started branching off into punk, though, and then actually fell into emo and prog. I ran into My Chemical Romance and Coheed and Cambria. Those two influences made me want to scream in my music with introspective lyrics. Get the anger out that I don’t normally express. It helps.
Kris: My dad loves 90s music and some early 2000s, too, but bands like Barenaked Ladies, Blink 182, Papa Roach, Weezer … that whole sphere …all of that was what I grew up listening to and what pushed me. I even loved Simple Plan, too.
Jake: Fall Out Boy and Panic! at the Disco, too.
Chase: I can’t end this interview without mentioning Meriwether. Meriwether and the bands of The Caterie were huge influences on me.
MaM: What is your ultimate goal for this band?
Kris: I guess it’s changed over time. The band has always been an outlet for me because I can write down what I want to say better in songs.
MaM: That sounds like me when I write my books.
Kris: Right? As we’ve come together and have played shows, I’ve decided I would like to do this as a career. I really want to pursue it. I want to go on tour.
Jake: I just want to play power chords.
(laughter)
Kris: I just want to take this moment to apologize to every sound guy that has ever had to check us.
(laughter)
Kris: Because we take so long.
MaM: Where do you say your greatest strengths and weaknesses lie as musicians?
Kris: Chase’s weakness is that he’s extremely talented and thinks he’s god-awful garbage.
(laughter)
MaM: You’ve gotta give yourself more credit.
Kris: My biggest weakness is probably the fact that I’ve fooled them into thinking I can play guitar.
(laughter)
Kris: I will practice the same song repeatedly. I don’t know a lot of chords. I know some scales. I don’t know what key I am playing ever … and then repeat it. My strength, I guess, is that I enjoy writing melodies and lyrics … and it’s in a key, but I have no idea what it is.
(laughter)
MaM: My brother – the riff from Blink 182’s ‘Damnit’ – dude … over and over …
(laughter)
Jake: I think my strengths are probably my ear because that’s how I play mostly. I can read music, but it’s not a strength. You’re good to go with your ear as long as you're adaptable. My rhythm hand, too, is a strength. My biggest weakness … I could go into so much …
(laughter)
Jake: I could pick myself apart. I have to work with the ADHD struggle of not always being able to rely on your ability. Sometimes it’s trying to recreate something you did, but not being able to. I do tend to do that quite a bit.
Kris: (to Chase) So, if your biggest weakness is that you hate yourself, what’s your biggest strength?
(laughter)
Chase: I can combine different genres and musicians with my playing. I turn it into my own unique thing. When this band was a duo, they were melodious folk, and I wanted to make it more rock and roll.
MaM: Final question: Where do you see yourself in the next five years, or where would you like to be?
Kris: I would like to be in the Midwest … no …
(laughter)
Kris: As much as I like having a stable income and a place to work that is nice and cares about me, I would like to play in a band as a job. Whether or not that can happen is something that I have low expectations for.
(laughter)
MaM: No, you need to stay positive.
Kris: Yes, we manifest.
MaM: Exactly.
Jake: Next year, I’m hoping we can play some festivals and see if we can cross state lines to expand our reach. As our kids get older, I feel it will get easier.
Chase: I want to accomplish the same as these guys, but I want to get what we have now recorded.
MaM: Capture the magic.
Chase: We already have the second album, and it's pretty much done. I know we’re approaching it fast, but I want to return to the studio with Nick. Nick Maggio is a phenomenal person.
MaM: Yes, he is amazing!
Kris: Even beyond his talent, he’s just incredible.
MaM: He’s just a good person.
Kris: He understands the sound and vibe we want. He connects with the music, too.
Chase: I want to get in with Nick before anything is lost or goes further down the line. That’s one of my primary drives. I’ve wanted to be in a band my entire life making music, but I don’t want to sit on what we have. Let’s get this out and on record.
More than just a band, Goodbye Academy is a group of best friends united by their love for music and their desire to share their art with the world. Their friendship and camaraderie are palpable in their music, making them more than just a band-they are a community of like-minded individuals looking to bring their art to the masses. Stay tuned for great things from these guys.
To learn more about Goodbye Academy:
*All photos by Gary Governale
Questions or comments? Hit us up at mixedalternativemag@gmail.com.